Strategy Guideline: 

Demonstration Home 

C. Savage and A. Hunt

Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA)

December 2012
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iii

Strategy Guideline: Demonstration Home

Prepared for: 

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program 

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

15013 Denver West Parkway

Golden, CO 80401 

NREL Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308 

Prepared by: 

Building Media and the Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA)

4301 Lancaster Pike, Bldg. 721 

Wilmington, DE 19805 

NREL Technical Monitor: Cheryn Metzger

Prepared under Subcontract No. KNDJ-0-40336-02 

December 2012 
iv

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v 

Contents

Contents....................................................................................................................................................... v

List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ vi

List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................. vi

Definitions.................................................................................................................................................. vii

Foreward ................................................................................................................................................... viii

Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... ix

Progression Summary................................................................................................................................ x

1 Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 1

Why Create Demonstration Homes? .........................................................................................1

How Demonstration Homes Generate Revenue ........................................................................2

Beyond Financial Motivations ...................................................................................................3

2 Stakeholders ......................................................................................................................................... 5

Producer .....................................................................................................................................5

How the Producer Makes Money from Demonstration House Projects ....................................8

Lessons Learned from Successful Demonstration House Producers .........................................8

Sponsors .....................................................................................................................................8

Manufacturers as Demonstration Home Sponsors .....................................................................9

Benefits to Manufacturers for Participating in Demonstration Home Projects .........................9

Challenges to Manufacturers for Participating in Demonstration House Projects ..................10

Lessons Learned from Manufacturers who are Successful Demonstration House Sponsors ..11

Media Companies as Demonstration House Sponsors ............................................................11

Benefits to Media Companies as Sponsors of Demonstration House Projects ........................12

Challenges to Media Companies as Sponsors of Demonstration House Projects ...................14

Lessons Learned by Successful Media Companies that Sponsor Demonstration Houses .......15

Government Agencies as Demonstration House Sponsors ......................................................15

Benefits of DOE as a Sponsor of Demonstration House Project .............................................16

Lessons Learned by the DOE from Participation in Demonstration House Projects ..............18

Builders ....................................................................................................................................19

Benefits of Builders Associated with Demonstration House Projects .....................................19

Challenges of Builders Associated with Demonstration House Projects ................................20

Lessons Learned from Successful Builders Associated with Demonstration House Projects .20

3 Communicating the Energy Efficiency Message in Demonstration House Projects .................. 22

How to Communicate to the Building Industry .......................................................................22

Communication Strategies for Demonstration House Projects ...............................................24

Pre-Event Communication Tools .......................................................................................24

Showtime Communication Tools ......................................................................................25

Post-Event Communication Tools .....................................................................................26

Communication Lessons Learned from Completing Successful Projects ...............................27

References................................................................................................................................................. 28

Appendix A. Case Study: Cool Energy House....................................................................................... 29

Media Partners Participation in CEH .......................................................................................32

Showtime Events, Tours, and Sponsor Receptions .................................................................35

CEH Onsite Communication Tools and Lessons Learned ......................................................36

Appendix B. Profiles of Successful Energy Efficient Demonstration Home Projects....................... 40
vi 

List of Figures 

Figure 1. Fair Oaks SMUD home ............................................................................................................... 1

Figure 2. Bimini House ............................................................................................................................... 2

Figure 3 Habitat Metro Denver house ....................................................................................................... 3

Figure 4. The 2009 New American Home.................................................................................................. 5

Figure 5. Cool Energy House................................................................................................................... 10

Figure 6. Artist's rendering of Cool Energy House as it appeared in Qualified Remodeler magazine 

(Source: Gary Hancock, reprinted with permission) ...................................................................... 13

Figure 7. Ecofutures Building Inc.’s demonstration home................................................................... 14

Figure 8. ReVISION Home Las Vegas ..................................................................................................... 16

Figure 9. Study: Type of Business .......................................................................................................... 23

Figure 10. Study: Value of Information types......................................................................................... 24

Figure 11. Cool Energy House - before................................................................................................... 29

Figure 12. BEopt-generated chart of electrical loads............................................................................ 30

Figure 13. CEH window ............................................................................................................................ 30

Figure 14. Blowing in new insulation...................................................................................................... 30

Figure 15. GE Neucleus Home Manager (Source: GE Home Energy Management, reprinted with 

permission........................................................................................................................................... 31

Figure 16. Pool equipment change out................................................................................................... 31

Figure 17. The Cool Energy House - after .............................................................................................. 32

Figure 18. Media station inside the CEH................................................................................................. 33

Figure 19. CEH micro-site videos............................................................................................................ 34

Figure 20. CEH press event held February 9, 2012 ............................................................................... 35

Figure 21. Chevrolet Volt with power chord in CEH driveway ............................................................. 36

Figure 22. Hand-cranked information stations provided an audio description of the energy 

upgrades to the home and required no additional power.............................................................. 36

Figure 23: Window Replacement station and wall graphics ................................................................ 37

Figure 24. Information sheets available to CEH visitors....................................................................... 38

Figure 25. Solar panel display and explainer at the CEH...................................................................... 38

Figure 26. Bimini House ........................................................................................................................... 40

Figure 27. 2010 ReVISION House ............................................................................................................ 40

Figure 28. Home by Design (Home by Design Showhouse)................................................................. 41

Figure 29. Better Home Better Planet (Source: BASF Corporation; reprinted with permission) ..... 41

Note: Color cover photo courtesy of NREL (PIX 17957). Other cover photos owned by BARA.

Unless otherwise noted, all figures were created by the BARA team.

List of Tables

Table 1. Sample Producer Checklist......................................................................................................... 7

Unless otherwise noted, all tables were created by the BARA team.
vii 

Definitions

BA Building America, a residential buildings program under the DOE

BARA Building America Retrofit Alliance, a Building America team

Builder

CARB

DOE

The general contractor, primary builder or remodeler on a 

demonstration home project. 

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings 

U.S. Department of Energy 

IBS

LEED

International Builders’ Show

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 

NGBS National Green Building Standards

NAHB

Producer 

National Association of Home Builders

General manager of the demonstration home project and 

responsible for all aspects of the project.

Sponsor Contributing partner to the demonstration home project. May be 

product manufacturer, media partner, or public program like the 

DOE.
viii

Foreword 

Demonstration house projects that coincide with large 

industry events, like the International Builders’ Show (IBS),

can be rewarding for builders, sponsors, media companies, 

and the producers involved with the project. These projects 

offer the building community as well as the public a chance to 

preview new designs, products, and building materials in a 

real world setting. The projects also offer the opportunity to 

gather content for use in promotional materials and data on 

tour attendees or viewers of multimedia materials generated 

from the project. 

However, demonstration house projects are also risky business in terms of cost and impact. 

Multiple competing interests in these projects can often dilute targeted messages, such as those 

focused on improving energy performance. The sheer volume of demonstration projects 

produced in association with major events each year is daunting and it is difficult to determine 

which projects have the most potential impact and which can be best used to further the 

objectives of non-traditional participants, such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 

Building America (BA) program. 

Demonstration homes have been part of outreach programs and manufacturing sales strategies 

since such strategies existed. As part of the work to produce this strategy guideline, the Building 

America Retrofit Alliance (BARA) looked at some of the more recent demonstration projects to 

try to quantify their performance. This project sought to help inform BA’s outreach efforts to

support demonstration projects. Fundamentally, the past problem is that while the DOE/BA has 

regularly spent money on demonstration homes, there wasn’t clarity on the communication and 

partnership strategies and tools used to convey the desired message to stakeholders. Therefore, 

questions arose about the best use of taxpayer money on demonstration home projects when 

pursing and promoting BA energy efficiency goals. By drawing on the vast experience and data 

on communication tools in demonstration homes in the past, this report intends to provide useful 

information as the DOE/BA develops and implements comprehensive communications and 

outreach strategies.

The authors also hope that this document is useful to a wide audience: builders, remodelers, 

home performance contractors, real estate agents, product manufacturers, marketing and 

communication organizations, homeowners, and others. The intent of the document is to provide 

building industry professionals with insight into what is required to successfully complete a 

demonstration house project and what to expect in return. Also, this document will focus on how 

successful demonstration projects effectively use communication tools and control the overall 

message related to the demonstration house. Sound messaging and partnership strategies are 

especially difficult if the project is narrowly focused on forwarding energy efficiency building 

techniques and technologies, as these messages can easily get diluted in the wash of 

manufacturer product messaging. 

“Half the money I spend on 

advertising is wasted; the 

trouble is I don't know 

which half.” 

John Wanamaker 

(1838 - 1922), (attributed)
ix

This document begins with a general discussion on what demonstration house projects are, how 

they generate revenue, and the motivations for stakeholders in the building community to 

participate in the projects. It continues with an in-depth look at each of the major roles 

stakeholders play in the demonstration house project: the producer, builder, and sponsor. Also 

included is a discussion of “theme” sponsors, including the DOE and BA technical teams that 

attempt to inform and educate the public about energy efficiency building practices through 

demonstration house projects. Finally, the document will explore some of the typical 

communication tools used before, during, and after large industry events to promote 

demonstration house projects. 

Acknowledgements 

Special thanks to Erik Anderson, Christine Barbour, Tucker Bernard, Judy Brociek, Mike 

Draper, Debbie Drury, Pat Love, Mary MacLeod, Tom Miller, Craig Savage, Stephanie ThomasRees, and Mike Wnek for providing their insight and experience in demonstration house 

projects.
x 

Progression Summary

The process for creating a successful demonstration house project is not always consistent.

However, there are several milestones that projects must reach in order to be successful.

ss Project Launch

Project producer initiates process. The first step in a demonstration house project is for 

the producer to identify the potential for the project and begin recruiting other members of 

the team to join the project. 

Demonstration house is complete. Completion of the project prior to the industry event is a critical 

step in the success of the project.

For the project to succeed the producer must:

• Secure a partnership with a builder, media, and sponsors

• Create a marketable message to promote the project

• Manage the construction process and prepare for public tours

• Employ successful communication strategies to maximize 

exposure of the project

! !

Builder joins project

Builder joins project. The producer partners with a builder. The 

builder must be able to handle tight deadlines, multiple change 

orders, and the scrutiny of peers but has the opportunity to gain 

from donated products, lead generation, and reputation. 

1

Sponsors join 

project

Sponsors join project. Sponsors join the demonstration house 

project and contribute funding, building materials, technical 2 expertise, and, in the case of media companies, publicity.

Pre- event 

communication 

tools

Pre-event communication tools. Articles in trade magazines, 

email blasts, coverage in newsletters, and through sponsors’ 3 media channels are used to build excitement about the project.

Event 

communication 

tools

Event communication tools. During the industry event, the 

demonstration house can host educational events, parties, press 

conferences, and award ceremonies as well as use social media 

and fliers to promote the project and the theme or message. 

4

Post- event 

communication 

tools

Post-event communication tools. After the demonstration 

house project is closed, work continues to support and market it

through articles, websites, and videos. Sometimes projects are 

used for consumer tours and training after the tradeshow.

5
1 

1 Introduction

Demonstration houses or "show" homes are a familiar sight at trade events inviting builders, 

trade contractors, architects, media representatives, and manufacturers to see firsthand the latest 

building techniques and innovations. While from the outside these projects may seem as 

seamless and simple as the process of building a traditional new home, the truth is that behind 

the scenes many different players are involved in a complicated effort to "put on a show", in the 

context of finishing the project on time, within budget, 

and at a profit.

Traditionally, demonstration home projects have 

focused on only new home construction. This manifests 

itself as either traditionally built homes near the event 

center or modular homes that are factory built and then 

shipped and assembled at the show site. Today, 

however, another kind of demonstration home project 

is becoming more common: the retrofit demonstration 

home. Unlike new home construction, retrofit homes 

have the additional challenge of trying to include home 

owner budgets, scale of project, location, expected 

outcomes, and timeline into the project. Because of 

this, demonstration retrofit projects can be even more 

difficult to successfully complete.

Barriers to a successful demonstration house can be 

compounded when the project attempts to be more than just “a box full of products” simply 

showcasing the latest appliances and home furnishings. In the case of projects that pursue an 

energy efficiency or environmentally conscious goal, a successful outcome can be difficult and 

expensive, and may not provide the return on investment producers are looking for. 

This guideline will provide a general overview of the different kinds of demonstration home 

projects, a basic understanding of the different roles and responsibilities involved in the 

successful completion of a demonstration home, and an introduction into some of the lessons 

learned from actual demonstration home projects. Also, this guideline will specifically look at 

the communication methods employed during demonstration home projects. And lastly, we will 

focus on how to best create a communication plan for including an energy efficient message in a 

demonstration home project and carry that message to successful completion.

Why Create Demonstration Homes?

Financial gain is the primary motivation producers have for creating demonstration home 

projects, both in new construction and retrofit homes. That gain can be in the form of revenue or 

less tangible gains such as marketing, sales, or visibility. Through a series of relationships and 

contractual commitments, all parties involved in a demonstration home project have the 

opportunity to gain financially if the demonstration home is able to successfully achieve the 

intended goals. 

Figure 1. Fair Oaks SMUD home
2 

The primary goals include: 

• Completing the project prior to the industry event, builder's show, or trade show. 

• Successful marketing and communication of the demonstration home before, during, and 

after the event.

• Adequate number of attendees touring and visiting the home, on site and online, 

generating interest and potential sales leads for all parties involved.

In order to generate a large enough potential audience to justify the expense involved with 

creating a demonstration home project, most demonstration houses are built in conjunction with 

major industry events. The idea is to leverage attendees already at these industry events to tour 

the demonstration home or special events at the location. Once there, the visitors can be 

registered where they become qualified leads for all parties involved in the development of the 

project. Lead generation is one of the primary goals for a demonstration house project, and so 

successfully capturing as much information about attendees who take the tour is paramount, 

especially if providing them with a positive, professional, and educational experience is a 

measurement of the success of the project.

Although demonstration houses are often called "show" houses, there is a subtle but important 

distinction between the two. A demonstration house has a specific intent and theme that is 

followed through in every aspect of the project. A show home, on the other hand, usually 

displays the latest and most attractive new appliances, designs, and features available in modern 

construction. Although this may seem like a matter of simple semantics, the philosophical 

difference between a demonstration house and show house is significant. The difference will 

shape everything about the project from the basic approach to the type of partners involved in the 

project, and communication strategies. Both show homes and demonstration homes can be 

successful or disappointing if they fail to accomplish their respective goals.

How Demonstration Homes Generate Revenue

In most cases, the initial source of revenue for demonstration 

home projects comes directly from sponsors or manufacturers 

who want to have their specific building products displayed or 

promoted in the house. Participation in a demonstration home 

project is divided into several tiers so that sponsors can 

participate in the project as their budgets allow. A manufacturer 

of building products will contribute a combination of direct funds 

and product to a demonstration home project. For a media 

company that produces magazines, television shows, newsletters, 

or websites, typical contributions include funding and in-kind 

promotional elements like articles, features, and promotional 

Figure 2. Bimini House videos. 
3 

An example of how paid participation in a demonstration home project is established could be: 

• Gold/Emerald Level Sponsorship: $10,000 in cash or product/support equivalent 

• Silver/Jade Level Sponsorship: $5,000 in cash or product/support equivalent 

• Bronze Level Sponsorship: $2,500 in cash or product/support equivalent 

Occasionally, demonstration homes will have one sponsor that invests a greater amount than all 

other sponsors. This primary sponsor, also called the core, title, or anchor sponsor, is usually part 

of the demonstration house team from the very beginning and helps fund the project while other 

sponsors are being sought and brought into the project. 

For participating in the demonstration house, sponsors and other financial contributors are 

offered brand exposure, quality control, and, in some cases, message control of the project. 

Anchor sponsors, because of their larger investment, typically drive the overarching messages, 

such as design trends, building systems, or energy efficiency packages. When the demonstration 

house is open to the public, the sponsors may also be granted special access to the home for 

exclusive events, meetings, and press conferences. This is especially true for the anchor sponsor. 

In all cases, the more a contributor provides to a project, the more control they have over the 

messaging and positioning of their brand in the demonstration house. 

In addition to funds garnered from sponsors, other revenue streams or financial contribution may 

be identified and used, This may include funding from public entities, including the DOE, 

Housing and Urban Development, local governments or utility programs, as well as trade 

associations such as Metal Roofing Alliance, Propane Association, or the National Association 

of Home Builders.

Beyond Financial Motivations

Not all demonstration home projects are exclusively 

financially driven. Some have the goal of providing 

outreach for specific programs or to promote 

particular design and construction strategies. 

Examples of projects have included builds for 

Habitat for Humanity and projects designed to 

promote affordable housing. Improving the 

healthfulness and comfort of a home, showcasing 

energy efficiency and renewable energy, universal 

design, and promoting aging-in-place options have 

also been themes or sub-themes of more altruistic 

demonstration home projects. 

Recently, though, one of the most common themes of demonstration homes has been the 

conservation of natural resources to either protect the environment or to reduce energy costs for 

the homeowner. Energy efficient appliances, designs, and building technologies are now a 

mainstay of most demonstration home projects. Recent demonstration home projects that focused 

on energy efficiency have ranged from simply creating a smaller footprint for the home to houses 

complete with onsite power generation capabilities and the potential for net metering. 

Figure 3 Habitat Metro Denver house
4 

Choosing to launch a demonstration home project that specifically addresses improved energy 

efficiency, building science, construction technologies, and environmentally responsible 

materials brings an additional level of complexity to a demonstration house project. This can be 

even more challenging when trying to communicate the overall theme or message of the home 

before, during, and after the industry event. Creating effective communication tools around an 

energy efficiency themed project requires the traditional efforts to draw people through the 

home. Further, it must cultivate an interest in stakeholders to agree with the overall energy 

efficiency or "green" message of the project. Unlike a traditional show home that can simply 

display the latest and greatest improvements to home furnishings, an energy efficiency themed 

demonstration home must engage that specific group of show attendees or potential buyers who 

can both appreciate the energy efficiency message and are in a position to actively encourage 

their clients and customers to select energy-saving building technologies.

Demonstration home projects that promote energy efficiency also should be evaluated and tested 

by certified technical teams to validate the energy-saving goals marketed by the project, 

especially if the project hopes to obtain specific green building credentials like DOE Challenge 

Home and ENERGY STAR® or green building certifications like LEED-H and National Green 

Building Certification. For new homes, this often involves including the technical team before 

the project begins to make sure the design, systems engineering, and architecture of the building 

will meet the required energy saving standards. As with a traditional construction project, 

achieving a green building certification can be a challenge. However, this task is even more 

complicated when the project must incorporate potentially disparate products, a compressed 

building schedule, new building methods or technologies, and multiple vested interests, all while 

on a strict budget. 
5 

2 Stakeholders 

The successful completion of a demonstration home involves a large cast of characters working 

together to accomplish the overall goals. Demonstration homes require vision, cooperation, 

leadership, and dedication as well as business savvy and strong marketing skills in order to 

succeed. The primary roles involved in a demonstration home project are: 

• Producer 

• Sponsor 

• Builder. 

In the case of retrofit projects or demonstration houses with an energy efficient theme, two other 

primary roles are usually involved:

• Homeowner

• Technical partners. 

Each of these participants plays a critical role in the success of the demonstration house and has 

specific needs and responsibilities to ensure that the project succeeds. Conflict between these 

roles is common and resolving this conflict quickly and amicably can mean the difference 

between a successful project and a disastrous one.

Producer

The demonstration house producer is the key mastermind to the entire project and has the 

greatest opportunity to directly gain financially from the endeavor. Like a movie producer, the 

show home producer typically identifies and defines the thematic and financial opportunity for a 

project. The producer selects the location, employs a sales team, administrators, and support 

staff, actively recruits the builder, sponsors, and technical partners and interfaces directly with 

the homeowner in retrofit situations. The ultimate 

success of the demonstration home project will hinge 

on the producer's ability to coordinate all the vested 

participants in the project and ensure that they work 

together smoothly and within the constraints of a 

limited budget and specific timeline. 

The producer also must be able to identify 

communication tools and other opportunities 

necessary to promote the demonstration home. This 

can require cultivating relationships with media 

partners and industry show promoters and often 

seeking the support of public sector resources 

including the DOE, utilities, municipal governments, 

and local charities. Figure 4. The 2009 New American Home
6 

While the producer doesn't have to actually perform all 

the tasks associated with the successful completion of a 

demonstration house project, they are responsible for 

coordinating and managing them. These include: 

Location selection - The producer must be able to 

locate and secure a building site or retrofit opportunity 

within close proximity to the trade event that will allow 

for the most exposure of the project to the industry 

event attendees. Deciding to host a demonstration 

project onsite at the industry event or offsite will be 

one of the first decisions the producer must make. The advantage of choosing an onsite location 

is that historical data and event registration numbers should provide a relatively accurate idea of 

how many attendees can be drawn to the demonstration project during the industry event. On the 

down side, onsite construction will limit the type of construction possible and the amount of time 

the demonstration home will be available for viewing by the public and media. Offsite may be 

more attractive because it will offer a longer construction schedule, but will require a more 

challenging level of logistics to transport attendees to and from the industry event. Above all, the 

location must fall into the practical price range of the project, be media accessible, be logistically 

feasible for buses or parking during the tour, and, in the case of a retrofit project, have a 

supportive homeowner willing to participate in the project.

Sponsorship sales - For direct selling, the producer will generally hire or subcontract the 

cultivation of sponsors to a subordinate. However, securing and maintaining the relationship of 

the anchor or title sponsor is often solely the producer's responsibility. A common mistake in a 

demonstration house project is to allow the construction schedule to be based on the ability to 

acquire sponsors. This can result in stalling the construction timeline and may reduce the quality 

of materials for the project if a sponsor cannot be found. The key is to have a solid business plan 

and budget in place before construction begins. The producer must feel confident that the project 

can be completed prior to the industry event and that all critical goals are achieved regardless of 

sponsorship participation. 

"I play the role of the 

conductor keeping everyone 

on the same page." 

Tucker Bernard, The New 

American Home Project 

Executor 
7 

Table 1. Sample Producer Checklist

Theme management - Selecting the theme for the demonstration house project and making sure 

all components of the project support that theme is the responsibility of the producer. Ultimately, 

the project will be judged on whether or not it successfully accomplished the mission stated in 

the theme. For a show home that touts the latest luxury innovation, as in the case of the New 

American Home sponsored by the NAHB, the public or media will ultimately decide if the 

project has succeeded in showcasing the elements promised. In the case of a demonstration 

house project that is pressing an energy efficiency message, securing a technical team validation 

through building diagnostics, achieving specific HERS ratings, or earning green building 

certifications will determine the success of the project.

Producer Checklist - Demonstration House Project

Hire production assistants

Update project management checklist

Write audio walk-through script 

Produce walk-through recording 

Secure MP3 player rentals

Secure card swipe hardware

Hire talent for events

Collect sponsor material and burn CDs

Review and approve production video costs, website 

design costs

Hire photographer for professional photos

Collect and organize marketing collateral

Produce flash virtual online tour

Hire additional onsite staffing help

Coordinate staff travel for pre-production, 

production, post-production

Coordinate meals & entertainment

Coordinate printing of outdoor banner/signage

Review magazine insertion costs

Collect and review exhibitor and sponsor signage

Hire and coordinate with professional PR & 

marketing

Analyze sales costs

Plan VIP/Press Event

Plan pre-show, mid-show, and post show cleaning

Rent and coordinate porta potties

Review tour schedule and confirm bus schedule

Purchase builder appreciation gift

Security
8 

How the Producer Makes Money from Demonstration House Projects

The demonstration house producer ultimately makes money if the amount of revenue generated 

from sponsor participation is greater than the cost of building and managing the project. At 

times, the margin on a project can be very thin and every dollar the producer spends on sponsors’ 

events, promotion, communication tools, and extras for the house takes away from the net profit. 

Despite the temptation to cut corners for profit, most experienced producers understand that the 

integrity of the project hinges on delivering a quality product. Where producers often err is in 

minimizing the importance of communication tools to entice tour participants and attract media 

attention. Even though the initial bottom line of the project may be evaluated on the number of 

sponsors and minimizing cost overruns, future projects will depend on how many leads are 

generated and visibility created for sponsors and the builder. 

Lessons Learned from Successful Demonstration House Producers

When interviewed, successful demonstration home producers agreed on several common lessons 

that they have learned over the course of completing multiple demonstration home projects. 

These include:

• Chemistry: Make sure your design/build team or owner/stakeholders in the actual 

building have good chemistry with each other and with the producer. 

• Visibility: The key to attracting quality sponsors, 

builders, and media is to create a demonstration 

plan that will differentiate your project from 

other projects and industry events. 

• Theme: Pick a theme that is timely, manageable, 

and marketable. The theme of the demonstration 

house project will have significant ramifications 

on the project and impact everything from 

sponsors to media and tour interest. 

• Pre-sell sponsors: To reduce financial liability 

and ensure the project can be completed to the expected quality, lock in sponsors before 

the project begins.

• Pre-sell the house: In the case of new construction, having a qualified buyer in 

contractual agreement to purchase the home before construction begins will ensure you 

can step out of the project when the related marketing activities and industry events are 

completed. 

Sponsors

There are three primary types of sponsors of demonstration home projects: manufacturers and 

their associations, media companies, and public agencies like the DOE. There are specific risks 

and benefits to each type of demonstration house sponsor, but one lesson is consistent with each: 

the more they contribute to the project, the greater influence they will have over the marketing, 

communication tools, theme, and overall success of the project. 

"Every time a show house is 

completed on time, it’s a 

small miracle." 

Craig Savage, ReVision 

House Las Vegas 2010 

Producer 
9 

Manufacturers as Demonstration Home Sponsors

Manufacturers who choose to participate in demonstration or show homes are generally 

motivated by the same incentives as the producer but usually have to wait to actualize the gains 

until after the industry event is long over. From a direct sales perspective, only after the public 

and press has had a chance to see firsthand the new products, appliances, and building materials 

used in the demonstration home can the sponsor expect to realize tangible results from their 

involvement. However, there are many other benefits to participating in a demonstration house 

for the manufacturer, and these benefits generally increase with the amount of product, money, 

or support they are willing to provide to the project.

Although manufacturers can be heavily involved in 

demonstration house projects, they are rarely the title 

sponsor, choosing instead to supply support and 

building materials and product at a lower tier.

Benefits to Manufacturers for Participating in 

Demonstration Home Projects

Some of the main reasons manufacturers decide to 

participate in demonstration home projects include: 

Brand awareness - Manufacturers are drawn to 

demonstration houses because affiliation with 

successful projects increases brand awareness to new 

or unique products that are being introduced to the public and could benefit from additional 

exposure. Often the successful demonstration house project can provide a venue to show 

working products, new product introductions, or a demonstration of products to the media and 

potential national clients. From the manufacturer’s standpoint, increasing brand awareness and 

focusing specifically on a new product line are best done by analyzing the potential media 

exposure, scale of the project, target audience, and overall support the demonstration house 

project will receive from other sponsors.

Positive association - Depending on the project, sponsors who are manufacturers can benefit 

from being associated with the title sponsor if the overall theme of the demonstration house is 

one that promotes the ideals of the sponsors’ products. For instance, partnering with the NAHB 

to showcase products in The New American Home can be advantageous for a manufacturer 

promoting the latest high tech product or a product that is more upscale and akin to a luxury 

item. Often, manufacturers that are trying to associate with green or energy efficiency, like 

insulation and window manufacturers, will be inclined to participate in projects alongside the 

DOE and homes that are attempting to achieve a green building certification like DOE Challenge 

Home, ENERGY STAR, or LEED for Homes. From a marketing standpoint, even though these 

certifications do not expressly endorse a specific product, the close association can be seen as a 

seal of approval in the consumer’s eyes.

Community and access opportunities - Participating in a demonstration house project can offer 

the manufacturer sponsor a chance to have a meeting place, event space, and press conference 

location during the industry event. Meeting potential clients off the floor of the trade event and in 

“Generally, in spite of the 

pain and suffering getting 

things together, demonstration 

homes are worthwhile.” 

Tom Miller, Miller Brooks 

Inc., a firm that represents 

many manufacturers, 

including Typar and BASF. 
10 

a more comfortable, casual, calm, and quiet environment can help increase the networking 

opportunity for the manufacturer and also help them showcase their products or innovations in a 

real world setting. For manufacturers who contribute more to a specific project, they have the 

opportunity to secure the demonstration house for invitation-only events, which can help 

enhance their position in the industry. Likewise, by collaborating with other sponsors, the 

manufacturer can create a sense of community around the project, which can also support 

general brand awareness. 

Challenges to Manufacturers for Participating in Demonstration House Projects

Although there are clear benefits for manufacturers and their associations who choose to 

participate in demonstration house projects, there are also significant challenges to participation. 

These challenges include: 

Coordinating product - Because demonstration 

house projects are usually on tight schedules with 

an absolute completion date, coordinating 

delivery and installation of building materials and 

products to the job site can prove to be a 

challenge for the manufacturer. During the course 

of building the demonstration house or retrofitting 

an existing house, the building schedule can be 

relatively fluid as sponsors sign on or drop out of 

the project. Demonstration house projects 

occasionally have to change their expectations 

about furnishings, design, and even energy 

efficiency standards to complete the project before 

the industry event. This can mean changes to 

appliances, design standards, and building products, which sponsors need to respond to quickly 

as part of their participation. Sometimes simply getting the product to the jobsite can be a 

challenge as many demonstration house projects are managed remotely and require coordination 

with the producer, builder, and sometimes other sponsors. Related to the product delivery, theft 

can also be a significant problem for sponsors. Demonstration house projects draw attention to 

the work being done on the jobsite. Because demonstration houses may not follow traditional 

building schedules or may experience delays, delivered building product may sit uninstalled on 

the job site longer than on traditional build schedules, which increases the risk of pilfering, 

damage, or the material simply getting lost.

Finding the right fit - Sponsors who are primarily manufacturers should understand the fine line 

between a demonstration home, where all components of the project need to be aligned behind a 

single theme, and a show home, which is often described as a “box of products.” Finding the 

right fit between the products offered by the manufacturer and the needs of the demonstration 

house project can be a point of conflict between the sponsor and producer. This is often the case 

in projects that are vying for energy efficiency or green building certifications because the 

producer has to ensure that appliances and building materials will meet or exceed energy 

conservation expectations before accepting them from the sponsor. 

Figure 5. Cool Energy House
11 

Missed expectations - Because demonstration house projects aren't actual storefronts for building 

products, it can be a challenge for manufacturers to realize the return on their investment in the 

project. Lead generation and general brand awareness are often difficult to quantify unless the 

producer has established a strong communication 

feedback loop that tracks tour participants and media 

exposure, not to mention actual product sales, which 

may happen months later. Because of this, 

manufacturers can be disappointed after participation in 

a demonstration house project if they don't have data 

related to their specific contribution. Also, as the 

national economy lingers in a downturn, general 

attendance at building industry events has waned, 

sometimes by as much as 50%. This means that overall 

there are fewer potential customers attending events and 

taking tours of demonstration house projects. As 

attendance drops to a fraction of what it was only a few 

years ago, many of the benefits associated with 

sponsoring a demonstration house are proportionally 

diminished. The key to overcoming this challenge is for 

the manufacturer to negotiate with the producer before 

agreeing to sponsor a project and make sure that their 

and the producer’s marketing and communication 

elements are in place to draw attention to the project, as 

well as a successful means of collecting and reporting 

data about attendance, attention, and potential leads.

Lessons Learned from Manufacturers who are Successful Demonstration House 

Sponsors

When interviewed, manufacturers who are successful demonstration home sponsors agreed on 

several common lessons that they have learned over the course of completing multiple 

demonstration home projects. These lessons include:

• Identify potential point of conflict and proactively seek resolution. 

• Have a clearly defined product list and sufficient time to get product ordered and shipped. 

• Ship all products in one shipment to avoid lost items on job site. 

• Clarify reasonable expectations for media coverage, tour attendance, and realistic lead 

generation before agreeing to sponsor a demonstration house project. 

Media Companies as Demonstration House Sponsors

Media and publishing companies often contribute to demonstration house products at a higher 

tier than manufacturers, sometimes even taking on the role as title sponsor. Historically, media 

companies have also produced some of the largest demonstration home projects at industry 

events. This is because the benefits for media and publishing companies can be more immediate 

and significant than a manufacturer who is trying to highlight a single product or brand name. 

“The biggest challenges 

come from short turn 

around on product delivery 

once the final product 

selections are made. Also, 

issues with lost product on 

the job site and changing 

orders as selection seems to 

continue to change up until 

the opening of the home. 

This usually means we are 

spending more for product 

and shipping than 

originally forecast.” 

Debbie Drury, Director of 

Brand Communications 

American Standard Brands 

(ASB)
12 

For media companies, demonstration homes offer unique opportunities because involvement 

with the project can be mutually beneficial to both the 

producer's goals and the sponsor’s goals. For example, if, 

as part of their contribution to the project, the media 

company commits to creating a series of articles on the 

project, the producer benefits by the exposure and the 

media company can create an editorial calendar that 

supplies interesting content to their audience base. 

Often, the media sponsor will have multiple print 

magazines, websites, and, in some cases, television 

programming that can all be utilized to promote the 

project. The larger and more organized the media 

company, the greater the cross pollination and market 

saturation for the project. Frequently, media and 

publishing companies offer several channels to 

communicate the demonstration house project to their 

target audience, but these resources are generally focused 

around three primary touch points: 

• Online through websites, micro-websites, email 

blasts, e-newsletters, and advertisements

• In print through magazines, fliers, circulars, and 

bulk mailings 

• In person at the demonstration house during special events and tours. 

Because the media or publishing company has so much control over communicating and 

promoting the demonstration project, media companies can be very influential sponsors and 

ultimately make or break a demonstration project.

Benefits to Media Companies as Sponsors of Demonstration House Projects

Media and publishing companies that focus on residential construction, home improvement, and 

trade associations can benefit from participating in demonstration house projects in three 

significant ways. First, the project offers them a chance to have access to their customer base in a 

unique and real world setting. Second, publishing companies need fresh and interesting content 

that can be readily generated through documenting a demonstration house project. Finally, 

association with a project can allow the publishing company to create additional financial 

opportunities through partnerships with manufacturers also involved in the project. 

Access - Similar to why manufacturers participate in demonstration house projects, media 

companies can find a unique vantage point by being associated with these sorts of construction 

projects. Authenticity is a very important aspect of marketing. If a media or publishing company 

wants to increase brand awareness and strengthen brand integrity, demonstration house projects 

can offer them a unique opportunity to work side-by-side with actual builders and trade 

professionals. Also, builders and manufacturers associated with the project will often be very 

enthusiastic to pursue relationships with the media company to help promote their brand or 

"To be honest, we had a 

booth inside (building 

industry events) for many 

years and brought 

manufacturers to have 

lunch and the booth doesn't 

have the return. We were 

looking for something to 

make us different." 

Judy Brociek, Director of 

Events, Professional 

Builder Magazine, on why 

media and publishing 

companies choose to 

participate in demonstration 

house projects. 
13 

products. Because the media company controls the amount of coverage and exposure a project 

receives, demonstration house projects offer a chance for networking and building advertising 

sales leads for the media company.

Fresh content - Publishers understand that 

demonstration projects are often on the 

cutting edge of residential construction 

technology. This is especially true with 

projects that are promoting new building 

science techniques, innovative designs, or 

incorporating the latest building products. 

Being able to showcase new products to 

readers gives the media company fresh 

and interesting content as well as the 

opportunity to be seen as an information 

clearing house to consumers. The content 

is then leveraged and multipurposed across the entire media company’s communication assets on 

a specific schedule to inform, educate, and entice their audience to engage with the project and 

visit the demonstration house. A typical schedule for a media company’s involvement in the 

demonstration house project may look like this:

• Promote the project pre-, during, and post-show through a full, online, multimedia 

content package. The media company will cover the home and its transformation as a 

retrofit project or during the construction of a new home from both a style and 

performance perspective. This is accomplished via:

o Multiple feature articles on the media company's signature or primary website 

with marketing and promotion on the homepage. 

o Cross promotion on other websites within the media company’s holdings. 

o Significant coverage of the project in newsletters prior to the industry event to 

build awareness and excitement. 

o Promotion of this feature to their professional audience in a new monthly 

professional newsletter. 

o Repurposing and exposure of existing BA case studies and materials to support 

the content package.

• Participate in the promotion of the project at press events, potentially assisting in securing 

a high-profile speaker or television personality to appear alongside the builder, producer, 

and other sponsors. 

• Host various hospitality and exclusive media events in and around the demonstration 

house during the industry event. 

Financial opportunities - A media company that signs on to support a demonstration house may 

have more opportunity to gain financially than any other single player involved in the project. 

This is because association with the demonstration house can fulfill existing contracts with 

vendors and lead to additional contracts with new clients. Media companies in the building 

industry usually sell packages of proposed content and exposure to their clients, often 

Figure 6. Artist's rendering of Cool Energy House as it 

appeared in Qualified Remodeler magazine (Source: 

Gary Hancock, reprinted with permission)
14 

manufacturers, committing to showcase products and brands across several media channels 

throughout the year. For example, a media company may sell a $1 million advertising and 

promotional package to a manufacturer that includes:

• Full page ads in several magazines

• A series of online text and/or video building material reviews highlighting the 

manufacturers specific product

• Online ads placed near relevant news stories or articles

• Television commercials and specific product mention during relevant installation 

segments

• Online training courses, often with continuing education units 

As part of this promotional package, the media company may agree to give the manufacturer’s 

product prominent placement if the manufacturer agrees to participate in the demonstration 

house project. Again, because the media company controls the amount of coverage and exposure 

and specific editorial or advertorial content associated with the demonstration house project, they 

are in a unique position to be able to maximize financial gain from the relationship. 

It is also interesting to note that by being a sponsor, the media company can enjoy exclusive 

coverage of the demonstration home project. If the project is wildly successful, this can equate to 

an even greater return on their investment in the project. 

Challenges to Media Companies as Sponsors of Demonstration House Projects

Although there are significant benefits for media companies to sign on as a sponsor of a 

demonstration house, there are also some risks and challenges associated with undertaking the 

project.

Client management - With so many potential 

contractual obligations associated with the financial 

opportunities around a demonstration house project, 

media companies have to carefully manage their 

clients’ expectations. This can become especially 

difficult during the event and tour stage of the project 

when manufacturer clients may wish to secure special 

events or have press conferences to promote their 

specific product. Also, media companies have to be 

careful to maintain their integrity. While advertising 

and basic promotion are expected, media companies 

should always pay attention to conflict of interest 

concerns. They should strive to provide their audience 

with more than promotional material for paying their 

advertisers and seek to inform and educate. Figure 7. Ecofutures Building Inc.’s 

demonstration home
15 

Timing - Some of the more elaborate demonstration or 

show home projects can take more than 18 months to 

complete. This is true of such projects as The New 

American Home, which chooses communities that are 

exclusive and often have elaborate designs and 

specifications. For a media company sponsoring a 

project with such a long build schedule, it can be a 

challenge to coordinate promotional support that 

maintains interest in the project for such a long period of 

time. One of the common approaches with elaborate 

demonstration projects is to have a media or content 

blackout on the project until shortly before the industry 

event. This can pose a problem for media companies if 

they have agreed to promote other clients associated 

with the house who are anxious to gain exposure. Also 

related to the challenge of timing, media companies 

must compete for audience share. Large industry events, 

like IBS, often have multiple demonstration house 

projects with several media companies all vying for 

attention.

Lessons Learned by Successful Media Companies that Sponsor Demonstration 

Houses

When interviewed, media companies who are successful demonstration home sponsors agreed on 

several common lessons that they have learned over the course of completing multiple 

demonstration home projects. These lessons include:

• Stick with core competencies. Some media companies are large enough to produce and 

manage demonstration house projects, but most are more successful if they stick with 

what they know and focus on being publishers, not producers. 

• Offer clients exclusive times and access points during industry events to reduce potential 

conflict between competing manufacturers. 

• Use the demonstration house project primarily as an opportunity to connect with 

manufacturers and builders by creating round table sessions and networking events. 

Government Agencies as Demonstration House Sponsors

In the past, one of the most prominent sponsors of demonstration homes that focus on improving 

energy efficiency is the DOE through its BA program. BA is a research program with the stated 

goal to accelerate the development and adoption of new building energy technologies and 

practices in new and existing homes.

To this end, BA supports, through funding, technical teams that are assigned to develop and 

study construction practices that achieve significant energy and cost savings for homeowners. As 

part of their participation requirements, the BA teams, or technical teams, often partner with 

"I think our best selling 

point is the demo home that 

people can walk through 

and see. You can sit at that 

booth all you want, but 

when they actually walk 

through that home and see 

it - see someone standing 

next to the HVAC system 

giving you the facts on why 

it saves you money, you 

can't replace that with 

pieces of paper." 

Pat Love, RND Program 

Manager for Building 

America, Oak Ridge 

National Lab 
16 

homebuilders and retrofit companies and participate in demonstration house projects that have an 

energy efficient theme or goal. 

The technical teams support the builders in demonstration house project in many ways. These 

include: 

• Assist with design features within the home that impact the building envelope and the 

integration of structural, thermal, and moisture control strategies.

• Help design and define the specifications for heating, cooling, domestic hot water, 

lighting, and renewable energy systems that enhance the comfort, health, durability, and 

energy efficiency of the house. 

• Actively participate in the management of the construction process to ensure new or 

untested energy efficient building techniques are being installed correctly.

• Train and support the builder and trades as needed to meet energy efficiency goals.

• Work with other sponsors to ensure building materials, appliances, and applicable 

building products all meet or exceed the standards required to achieve the stated energy 

efficiency goal of the project.

• Test the home and validate that energy efficiency goals have been achieved.

• Maintain quality control over the messages coming from the project. 

There are many demonstration or "test" house projects active across the United States that 

technical teams participate in, and the vast majority do not receive any direct cash support from 

the DOE. However, when demonstration projects are held in conjunction with large industry 

events, the DOE has sometimes agreed to contribute additional funds to the project as a sponsor. 

These funds help support the project with the focus of implementing new building technologies 

aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the house. Often, because of the level of funding, 

DOE is the top tier or title sponsor. 

Benefits of DOE as a Sponsor of 

Demonstration House Project

There are several benefits, all non-financial, for the 

DOE when they contribute to a demonstration house 

project as a title or top tier sponsor.

Validation of research - BA acts as a national 

residential test bed where different building system 

options are evaluated, designed, built, retrofitted, and 

vetted to ensure that requirements for energy efficiency, 

quality, sustainability, risk mitigation, and comfort are 

met. Finding real world opportunities to actually 

employ and demonstrate this research is one of the 

benefits of participating in a demonstration house 

project. The demonstration house projects allow BA 

teams to interact with builders, trades, homeowners, and 

Figure 8. ReVISION Home Las Vegas
17 

building product manufacturers to better identify the gaps and barriers between the research lab 

and the jobsite. Results and feedback from the demonstration house project are reported to BA 

and the DOE, which helps define and establish future goals for the BA program. This live 

feedback cycle of test, validate, and report enables BA to remain grounded in actual energy 

efficiency research that can both reduce energy consumption and be accepted by builders and 

homeowners. However, the role of demonstration homes is not the same as actual research or 

"test" homes, which are generally longer-term projects with controlled environments and very 

specific research goals. Demonstration homes can help identify how building technologies and 

products will operate in real world conditions and provide anecdotal information to the DOE, but 

these projects rarely are used as “research pilot home projects” conducted by BA teams as part of 

their typical research cycle.

General outreach - The DOE is in a unique position as a sponsor of a demonstration house 

project because, unlike manufacturer sponsors, there is no tangible product the DOE is trying to 

sell. The mission of the DOE is not financial return but rather to educate, inform, and promote 

better building technologies that will lead to the improvement of energy efficiency and to 

promote the overall BA program to key audiences. The intent is to get builders to agree to learn 

how to install or implement the energy efficiency measures in the house and then through 

marketing, communication, and events, to expose the general public to the availability of these 

measures. Demonstration houses provide the DOE with that opportunity because of the national 

media attention large demonstration house projects generate. 

Support of specific initiatives - As part of its continuing mission to educate and encourage the 

public to seek energy efficiency solutions for their homes, the DOE creates programs like the 

DOE Challenge Home. Demonstration house projects offer the DOE an opportunity to launch 

these programs and recognize industry professionals participating in them. Events held in the 

demonstration house to spotlight the builders of a Challenge Home house can include ribbon 

cutting events, press conferences, and award ceremonies. Participation in the demonstration 

house enables the DOE to both promote these new initiatives, and also have a platform to further 

communicate their goals. 

Challenges of DOE as a Sponsor of Demonstration House Project

The DOE faces interesting and unique challenges when they choose to sponsor a demonstration 

house project—challenges that other sponsors generally don't have to face. 

Public perception - The current political climate has created an occasionally hostile environment 

for public programs and some may wonder if it is in the taxpayers’ best interest for the DOE to 

contribute to demonstration house projects. Ribbon cutting events, press conferences, and 

cocktail parties—even those not directly sponsored by the DOE but held in the demonstration 

house—can all contribute to the feeling that demonstration homes are more superfluous than 

substantial in the pursuit of improving energy efficiency. To address these challenges, the BA 

teams and the DOE must carefully coordinate to ensure that the demonstration house remains 

true to the research goals and does not become a "show" house. Managing public perception can 

be difficult; however, by using demonstration house projects to show actual energy saving 

potential in real-world and accessible locations, the DOE is able to bridge the gap between 

research and deployment of building science technologies. 
18 

Industry acceptance - In an industry that is notoriously slow to change, trying to gain traction 

with implementing new building technologies can be a daunting task. The reason the DOE 

contributes funds to demonstration house projects is that often the energy efficiency 

improvements increase the overall cost of building or retrofitting the house. Without these funds, 

the builder would have to rely on the homebuyer/owner to finance the improvements. 

Demonstration houses enable the DOE to show the industry that the energy efficiency 

technologies are possible to implement and when successful, can convince builders to adopt 

these improved building techniques moving forward. 

Message control - The Building America program is a 

voluntary program that strives to research and develop 

innovative energy efficiency strategies. This focus 

requires that the message and overall "story" of the 

demonstration house project be something that is 

practical, easy for the construction community to grasp, 

and that promotes the intended goals of increasing 

awareness of energy efficiency. While this may be the 

goal of the DOE, it is not always the goal of all other 

participants in the project. Therefore, as the title 

sponsor, the DOE must be willing to exercise their 

position as a top tier participant and demand that the 

core message of the demonstration house reflects the 

goals of the DOE. 

Lessons Learned by the DOE from 

Participation in Demonstration House Projects

Having successfully completed many research projects, representatives from the DOE have 

agreed on several common lessons learned from participation in multiple demonstration home 

projects. These lessons include:

• Know your audience. To create lasting impact in the industry, it is important to persuade 

more than just peers and committed builders that energy efficiency is important. All 

members of the building cycle must be addressed. These include: remodeler, sub-trades, 

architect, homebuyers, and even real estate agents and lenders.

• Expand to new markets. Because of the downturn in new construction starts, shifting to a 

greater percentage of energy upgrades or retrofits to existing homes is a natural 

progression. Whereas a few years ago 80% of demonstration homes were new 

construction and 20% were retrofits, current trends are shifting the retrofits closer to 60% 

and new construction to 40%.

• Explain the investment. When the home is completed and open to the DOE for VIP 

events or press conferences, it is important to show and tell how money was spent on the 

project and the expected return on the investment. 

• Show the technology and share the technology. Recent projects have focused on 

communicating directly to the homebuyer to show them that the energy efficiency 

improving building techniques are available to them. 

"Most people think of 

remodeling as aesthetics, 

upgrading their comfort 

features. What we are 

trying to do is to tell them 

that if they are remodeling 

anyway, buy that energy 

efficiency refrigerator. But 

don't put the old one in the 

garage, get rid of it." 

Pat Love, RND Program 

Manager for Building 

America, Oak Ridge 

National Lab 
19 

Builders

Homebuilders and remodelers that sign onto demonstration house projects need to have patience 

and a good deal of flexibility in order to successfully work with the producer and sponsors. 

However, for as difficult as multiple change orders, new technologies, a drop-dead closing date, 

and incorporating a vast array of building materials into a house may be, the builder can often 

find that demonstration house projects are a quality source of lead generation and industry 

recognition.

Benefits of Builders Associated with Demonstration House Projects

Some of the benefits a builder can enjoy by participating in demonstration house projects include 

the opportunity to try new building technologies, association with green building programs, and 

lead generation. 

Exposure to new building materials and technologies - Demonstration house projects offer the 

builder the opportunity to try new and unproven building technologies and innovative building 

materials. This is especially true when the project is trying to achieve a green building 

certification or perform at a high level of energy efficiency. Demonstration house projects that 

have a specific energy conservation theme often attract sponsors that are anxious to submit their 

building products to the real world of the jobsite. Because of the level of attention and support 

manufacturers agree to provide to the project, builders can enjoy training and a greater degree of 

customer service from sponsors. 

Green building programs and industry recognition - 

Green building certification programs like DOE 

Challenge Home and ENERGY STAR or green 

building certifications like LEED-H and National 

Green Building Certification are issued to the house 

and builder and are a direct acknowledgement of the 

work the builder has done to create a more energy 

efficient house. While sponsors may hope to achieve 

validation by being associated with green building 

projects, the builder is actually the name on the 

certificate and can use that recognition to help support 

their company brand. When sponsors like the DOE 

through the BA program approach builders to 

participate in a demonstration house, the builder can 

expect not only additional funds to help offset 

construction, but also technical support and monitoring 

of the house to ensure it achieves the expected level of 

energy efficiency. 

Lead generation - Demonstration homes that are built for large industry events will almost 

always host special events and press conferences to promote the theme of the project and also 

draw more national and local attention to the efforts and contributions of participating sponsors. 

During these activities, the spotlight is cast directly on the builder. In the same way that a builder 

creates a model home to promote sales in a development, the demonstration house can act as a 

"When we incorporate 

sponsors’ new products in 

the demonstration houses 

we get immediate feedback 

at the event. We pretty much 

immediately find out what 

will work and what will not. 

Doing so, we, as a 

company, feel like we lead 

the rest of the industry in 

coming out with new 

products." 

Mike Draper, 

Manager, Plant City 

Building Center, Palm 

Harbor Homes.
20 

magnet for potential customers looking for a builder who can deliver quality, innovation, and 

energy efficiency.

Challenges of Builders Associated with Demonstration House Projects

The challenges associated with building a demonstration 

home can be fairly obvious, and are typical of the 

problems builders face in the normal course of business. 

However, even though the challenges may seem regular, 

the task of completing a demonstration house is 

complicated by the fact that, unlike a normal building 

scenario, many other vested interests are concerned about 

the completion of the project besides the homebuyer. 

Compressed building schedule - One of the most common 

problems for builders associated with demonstration 

houses is a compressed building schedule. This problem 

is compounded by: 

• Sponsors trying to make sure their product 

donation is well positioned.

• Media companies vying for time in the building to document, film, and report on the 

progress of the project. 

• Technical teams working to ensure that the building technologies being used in the 

design and construction of the house are done appropriately. 

• Producers trying to keep all contributing parties satisfied while maintaining control of the 

budget. 

During the final stages of the process, as the house is being closed, the builder may face an 

additional burden of prepping the house for public tours while also trying to put the finishing 

touches on interiors. As part of the final preparation, builders may also have to create mock-ups 

or special installations to showcase products or building technologies used in the house. In 

addition, it is not unheard of for sponsors to want to include products so new they are not fieldtested and, in fact, are non-functioning. All of these issues can contribute to the stress and 

workload of the builder at a time when they are about to be put into the spotlight and have their 

work examined and commented on by the general public. 

Lessons Learned from Successful Builders Associated with Demonstration 

House Projects

When interviewed, builders who are successful with demonstration home projects agreed on 

several common lessons that they have learned over the course of completing multiple 

demonstration home projects. These lessons include:

• Pre-selling the house. Although rare, in the recent past some demonstration homes have 

remained unsold for several years after the main industry event. An unsold demonstration 

house can be a costly liability for the builder, as well as a difficult marketing mistake to 

overcome. 

"The best and biggest things 

that happen to us during 

these demonstration homes 

are that we get intimately 

involved with these new 

products and how difficult 

or easy they are to install." 

Mike Wnek, Sr. VP of Sales 

and Marketing for the 

Southeast Region, Palm 

Harbor Homes. 
21 

• Set clear boundaries and expectations with the producer and sponsors. The builder should 

remain in control of the construction schedule and jobsite, which means it is crucial that 

prior to beginning work on the project everyone involved understands the goals, timeline, 

and critical steps necessary for the builder to successfully close the project before the 

industry event.

• Keep a consistent team. For builders working year to year on demonstration houses, 

using the same technical team, media team, and producer greatly contributes to a 

successful project.

• For builders participating in BA related projects, it is important to coordinate with the BA 

teams early to get ahead of potentially complicated or new building techniques, designs, 

products, or technologies. The more educated the builder is about building science; the 

easier it is to build a higher quality home.
22 

3 Communicating the Energy Efficiency Message in 

Demonstration House Projects 

Demonstration house projects that focus on increasing 

public awareness of energy efficiency in homes have a 

greater challenge than traditional "show" homes. Not 

only do the homes have to overcome the normal 

gauntlet of challenges involved in building or 

retrofitting the house and prepping it in time for the 

event, but these projects also have to communicate the 

energy efficient message as well.

A National Association of Homebuilder's Research 

Center (NAHB-RC) survey in December of 2007 

asked a group of homeowners what their priorities 

would be if they had an extra $5,000 to spend on their 

homes. The survey found that 74% of the homeowners 

elected to improve comfort and design features like 

new countertops, upgraded flooring, and remodeled 

bathrooms while only 26% said they would use the 

funds for energy efficiency improvements to their 

home. This speaks to one of the core challenges the 

DOE faces when trying to inform homeowners about 

the importance of energy efficiency upgrades to 

existing homes. When beginning a home improvement 

project, most consumers think of it as remodeling, not 

retrofitting. Likewise, in new home construction, even 

with the recent growth of "green" construction 

companies, most homebuyers look for comfort and 

amenities before concentrating on energy efficiency. 

Ultimately the success, certainly from the sponsor’s point of view, of a demonstration project 

will be determined on how successful the communication strategy to market the project is 

planned and executed. Even though the house may accomplish all the goals of closing on time, 

prepped for tour guests, achieving the required level of energy efficiency, and coming in on 

budget, if the public is unaware of the project and message, the project will be considered a 

failure.

How to Communicate to the Building Industry

The BARA team recently conducted a study to determine the information needs of non-energy 

focused remodelers, in order to determine how to effectively communicate energy efficiency and 

building science to the residential remodeling community. The study, which questioned nearly 

1,000 building industry professionals, found that remodelers respond most favorably to trade 

magazines and in-person training for exposure to building science and technical information on 

improving energy efficiency. 

"The last couple of years,

there has always been a 

Building America 

presentation done in the 

home at IBS. Last year was 

a big breakfast for the 

Builder's Challenge 

certification. That was 

really kind of neat because 

you had all these other big 

builders like Pulte and 

Horton there to receive 

their awards for building 

high-energy efficient 

houses. To have them there 

in our houses and see them 

picking up on what we do 

makes you feel pretty good. 

 

Mike Draper, 

Manager, Plant City 

Building Center, Palm 

Harbor Homes
23 

The first section of the evaluation was to determine the types of businesses in which respondents 

were involved. Of the total, just over half identified themselves as self-employed general 

contractors. The second largest group identified themselves as general contractors with payroll 

(that is, employees). The remaining nearly 27% identified themselves as special trade 

contractors, both with and without payroll. 

Figure 9. Study: Type of Business

The majority of those who identified themselves as special trade contractors specialized in 

insulation followed by finish carpentry. Siding, electrical, and framing all tied for third in terms 

of the number of respondents. Roofing and flooring, tiling, and other finishing tied for fourth 

with HVAC, plumbing, other type, and drywall completing the list in order.

Next, remodelers were asked to rate nine types of media in terms of value to them. Answers were 

scaled from 1=not valued to 5=highly valued. What this survey showed is that industry 

professionals are still looking to traditional communication methods for information about 

building science. The top three sources of information for building professionals were: 

1. Trade magazines

2. In-person training events 

3. Industry peers. 

The lowest scoring sources sought were online blogs and social media websites.
24 

Figure 10. Study: Value of Information types

What this study suggests is that building industry professionals have specific preferences when it 

comes to how they are exposed to building science information. For a demonstration house 

project with an energy efficiency focus, understanding what marketing channels work best to 

reach the target audience is a critical part of a successful communication strategy. 

Communication Strategies for Demonstration House Projects

Most demonstration house and show house projects employ the same techniques for 

communicating with their intended target audience. However, with the rise and acceptance of 

social media, hand-held mobile communication devices, and easier and cheaper access to video 

creation, new formats and communication avenues are being utilized. 

Communication plans for demonstration houses can be broken down into three specific phases: 

pre-event, show time, and post-event. 

Pre-Event Communication Tools

A successful communication plan to market the demonstration house begins early in the process 

and is used to help draw in potential sponsors as well as raise general awareness of the project in 

the industry. As the event and unveiling of the demonstration house project draws near, the 

amount and variety of communication tools used to attract interest to the project increases. Some 

of the most common communication tools used prior to the industry event include: 

• Blogs that follow the project from beginning to completion

• Industry newsletters that connect specific sponsors’ products to the project
25 

• Articles and educational material developed by the media sponsor and distributed through 

various channels

• "Micro websites" or websites with limited pages that can be linked to from other online 

publications

• Paid advertisements in trade magazines

• Bulk email and traditional mailings

• Invitations to industry VIPs for exclusive events to be held at the location 

• Local media contacts 

• Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook 

• Contests with incentives and rewards to 

encourage public participation in the project 

• Local trade association announcements. 

Showtime Communication Tools

Once the demonstration home is complete and open to 

the public, the communication tools employed become 

much more immediate and specific to the event. 

Typically, there will be events, awards ceremonies, 

parties, meetings, and press conferences held at the 

house, but most of the communication work during the 

event will be geared toward the attendees who tour the 

house. This is the best time for the project producer to 

directly interact with builders, architects, interior 

designers, real estate agents, manufacturers as well as 

the potential homebuyer public. Successfully communicating the key elements during the tour is 

critical if the project is going to create a strong enough impression on the visitors to generate 

sufficient sales leads for the sponsors, or, in the case of an energy efficiency demonstration 

house, promote the acceptance of new building technologies. Some of the most common 

communication tools used during the industry event are: 

• Signage, banners, stickers, dry erase boards, and labels 

• Sponsors’ exhibits and their sales team efforts to drive traffic

• Live blogs, radio shows, podcasts, or video blogs that cover the event 

• CDs with promotional materials, digital sales sheets, resources, and links to related 

websites distributed via exhibitors, show management, and media partners 

• Representatives from sponsors and builders to help guide the tour and answer questions 

• Televisions in the houses running sponsors’ commercials and broadcasting online and 

back to sponsors’ exhibits 

• Digital photo frames that rotate images of the construction process and building materials 

and technologies used 

"People have to tour the 

house and see it. It’s like if 

you are going to go buy a 

car you want to test-drive it 

and kick the tires. Virtual

tours don’t offer the “awe” 

factor." 

Tucker Bernard, The New 

American Home Project 

Executor 
26 

• Personal, self-directed audio and video tours 

• Social media including regular Twitter and Facebook updates and instant messaging 

• Stacks of promotional literature. 

Demonstration house projects will use these traditional tools, but can also employ other tools to 

help convey how the house is performing at a higher level of energy efficiency. Some recent 

projects have installed digital readouts that display the amount of energy the house is using and 

the percentage being generated onsite from renewable 

sources. Often, when insulation, wiring, or plumbing has 

been improved, cutaways in wall cavities will show tour 

attendees things normally hidden behind the drywall. 

Post-Event Communication Tools

More than ever, after the industry event is over, the 

demonstration house project can continue to draw 

interest, generate leads, and communicate a positive 

energy efficient message. The general shelf life of a 

demonstration project is about one year after the event is 

over. However, high profile events with sustainable 

themes such as the Sarah Susanka “Not So Big 

Showhouse” continue to draw interested visitors five

years later. During that time, a new set of 

communication tools are employed to help keep the 

momentum of the project going. Also, the post-event 

period is a time when an evaluation of the process and project is usually performed. These 

evaluation activities also serve as a communication tool to help continue the promotion and 

awareness of the demonstration house project. Some of the most common communication tools 

used after the industry event is over include: 

• Feature articles and marketing analysis reporting on attendance, special events held in the 

demonstration house, and any green building certifications the house may have achieved

• Video interviews and highlights focused on sponsors and products used in the 

demonstration house 

• Swipe card data collected during the tours given to sponsors for follow-up and additional 

marketing

• Surveys of tour attendees 

• Virtual tours of the project hosted online. 

"You have to keep people 

involved even after they 

walked through the home. 

People learn things and get 

inspiration, but then once 

the show is over or the 

house is closed, within a 

couple of weeks or months 

they lose their excitement." 

Craig Savage, ReVision 

House Las Vegas 2010 

Producer 
27 

Communication Lessons Learned from Completing Successful Projects

Although results from demonstration house projects vary greatly, there are several 

communication strategy suggestions offered by producers, builders, and sponsors of successful 

projects. These include: 

• Communicate within the event to draw more tour attendees. Create a direct connection 

between sponsor's activities on the trade show floor and the demonstration project. 

• Simplify the overall message. Create a simple message that will draw attendees’ attention 

and create curiosity about the project.

• Determine your key audience and focus on motivating them. Often demonstration house 

projects will try to address every player in the building industry rather than focus on one 

core group and create a message for them. If the project is about energy efficiency, it is 

important to craft the message and then decide how best to deliver it.
28 

References 

Barker, G.; Carpenter, B.; Hancock, C.E.; Kriescher, P.; Norton, P.; Reeves, P.; Stafford, B. 

(2005). “Affordable High-Performance Homes: The 2002 NREL Denver Habitat for Humanity 

House, A Cold Climate Case Study.” NREL/TP-550-36150. Golden, CO. National Renewable 

Energy Laboratory. Accessed at: 

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/building_america/36150.pdf

DOE (2011). “Building America Comprehensive Energy Retrofit Case Study: SMUD’s Energy 

Efficient Remodel Demonstration Project.” U.S. Department of Energy. PNNL-SA-76139 

October 2010 Accessed 

at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/building_america/ba_casestudy_smu

d_fairoaks_hot-dry.pdf 

DOE (2012). DOE Challenge Home. U.S. Department of Energy. Accessed at: 

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/challenge/

Hunt, A. (2011). The Cool Energy House. Qualified Remodeler. Accessed at:r

http://www.forresidentialpros.com/article/10476169/the-cool-energy-house 

Liaukus, C. (2012) “Communication of Energy Efficiency Information to Remodelers: 

Lessons from Current Practice.” DOE/GO-102012-3565.Building America Retrofit Alliance 

on behalf of U.S. Department of Energy Building America program. Accessed 

at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/building_america/comm_ee_rem

odelers.pdf. 
29 

Appendix A. Case Study: Cool Energy House 

The Cool Energy House (CEH) is a demonstration home project aimed primarily at the 

residential building community and designed to show those builders and remodelers how energy 

efficiency retrofits can benefit their businesses by not only lowering their customer’s energy 

bills, but also making their homes more comfortable and secure while keeping the costs low. 

This demonstration project was produced by BA teams, built by Southern Traditions, and 

sponsored in part by Scripps, DuPont, Johns Manville, GE, and others. The project was 

completed just before and shown during the 2012 IBS in Orlando, Fla. 

The owners of the home, a young family of six, initiated a retrofit project with a local energy 

conscious custom homebuilder, Southern Traditions. The BA teams—BARA, the Consortium 

for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), and the National Association of Home Builders 

(NAHB) team—joined to offer their expertise in energy efficient retrofit design.

Before work began, CARB ran the initial home energy checkup. Data from the analysis was fed 

into the Building Energy Optimization (BEopt) software. This tool evaluates incremental energy 

and cost effects of different building designs relative to a reference building. The program 

provides a “least-cost” curve that allows users to determine minimum-cost building designs at 

various levels of energy savings. BEopt modeled the house and offered up optimized retrofit 

measures for the project. One of the primary goals of the CEH project was to explain in builderunderstandable terms, the value proposition of BEopt to the contractor’s business model. 

Figure 11. Cool Energy House - before
30 

Figure 12. BEopt-generated chart of electrical loads

Several measures were selected and undertaken based on the BEopt 

results. One of the primary challenges was improving the existing 

insulation. The energy audit showed that the existing kraft-faced, 

fiberglass batt insulation, although in-place most everywhere, wasn’t 

installed carefully, and warm air was leaking in and circulating 

noticeably in the wall cavities during the summer months. In an onsite 

experiment working with Johns Manville, the teams tried blowing 

additional chopped fiberglass into the existing wall cavities, increasing 

the density, filling the voids, and demonstrably slowing the airflow 

within them. In the attic, the 

scant few inches of existing 

fiberglass insulation was 

vacuumed up and an R-30 

application of closed-cell 

spray foam was applied to the underside of the roof 

sheathing, resulting in a completely air sealed attic 

and conditioned space while adding an additional 

wind-mitigating “hold down” to the roof assembly. 

Another major undertaking was a window and door 

replacement. The windows in the house were a mix of 

single pane and double pane with aluminum frames. 

Again, BEopt showed that replacing the windows with 

Figure 14. Blowing in new insulation

Figure 13. CEH window
31 

double pane, low-e vinyl frames was a practical, economical choice, so the existing aluminum 

windows were cut out flush to the brick veneer, and replaced with high-performance, low-e, 

vinyl windows. Care was taken to properly flash and seal the replacement windows. 

BEopt also pointed out that with proper air sealing, increased insulation 

and better windows and doors, the two existing low SEER HVAC systems 

could be downsized from two 2.5-ton units to two, high SEER 2-ton units. 

A dehumidifier acting independently of the HVAC system matched with 

ultra-efficient bath fans rounded out the heating and ventilating retrofit, 

providing cheaper, cleaner, and better-conditioned air to the house. 

All the appliances in the house were swapped out with state-of-the-art 

ENERGY STAR “smart-grid-ready” appliances that can communicate 

with the GE Nucleus Home Manager system, allowing the occupants to 

remotely manage their home energy usage and visualize it at home or 

away on their smart phones. 

Ironically as it’s not yet in the BEopt modeling tool, the pool pump and 

pool heater change out turned out to be one of the most energy efficient 

measures taken to save energy. An approximately 90% drop in power 

usage resulted when the single speed pump was swapped out for a new 

variable speed version. 

With help and guidance from the NAHB Research Center, the CEH project is on track to be 

certified as Silver in their GreenBuilder Certification program. 

In addition to the energy-focused retrofit, open walls and 

floors provided opportunities to locate areas where 

affordable enhancements could be made to the house for 

wind mitigation based on HUD guidelines formulated by 

the NAHB Research Center team.

Figure 15. GE Nucleus 

Home Manager (Source: 

GE Home Energy 

Management, reprinted 

with permission

Figure 16. Pool equipment change out
32 

Figure 17. The Cool Energy House - after

Media Partners Participation in CEH

Cygnus Building Media, publisher of Qualified Remodeler magazine, and The Scripps 

Networks, were the main media partners for the CEH project. Between the two sponsors, the 

CEH project was presented across many mediums and audiences in the time leading up to the 

show and will continue to be well beyond in virtual form. 

The Scripps Network, through their HGTVRemodels outlet (http://www.hgtvremodels.com/), 

created a number of articles, videos, webinars, press releases, and websites about the project. 

These activities included:

• Media Alert Press Release about CEH and HGTVRemodels on February 6, just prior to 

the tour event. 

• Promotion on HGTVRemodels homepage from February 8 thru February 29 with 

continual coverage of events at the home and updates on the project.

• Micro-website with videos, photos, and content related to the CEH. 

To date, videos on the HGTVRemodels CEH micro-website 

(http://www.hgtvremodels.com/home-systems/the-cool-energy-house/index.html) were viewed 

over 5,000 times by readers with significant spikes in activity on February 4 (1,670 video views) 
33 

Figure 18. Media station inside the CEH

and also on February 9 (590 video views) in conjunction with the Scripps, HGTV open house 

event. Plans going forward include a comprehensive tour of the finished house and doubling 

down on the promotion of the project which historically adds considerably more traffic. 

Qualified Remodeler was also able to distribute considerable content about the project including: 

• Qualified Remodeler, December 11, 2012. (Reach-83,000 readers) An extensive article 

on the entire CEH project from start to 

finish. http://www.forresidentialpros.com/article/10452900/the-cool-energy-house. 

• ForResidentialPros.com (Qualified Remodeler), micro-website. A micro-website was 

created and hosted at http://www.forresidentialpros.com/buildingamerica that provided 

readers with over a dozen articles, videos, blogs, and photo journals of the CEH project 

from start to finish. The overall site 

had 120,000 page views in December 

2011 and 160,000 in January 2012. 

Site visits were roughly 55,000 and 

65,000 in December and January, 

respectively.

In addition to this, other media outlets 

picked up or featured the CEH project. Some 

of these included: 

• Mother Earth News Magazine, 

December 12, 2011-January 12, 

2012. A short print magazine article 

with accompanying graphic 

highlighted the showing of the home 

and provided additional links and 

information about the 

project. http://www.motherearthnew

s.com/green-homes/cool-energygreen-remodeling-zmgz11zrog.aspx. 

• Green Builder Magazine, December 

11, 2012. A short article on the 

features of the CEH and information on touring the project. 

• Green Home Remodeling, website. Overview of the project, expectations, and tour 

dates. http://www.plan-and-build-a-house.com/green-home-remodeling.html
34 

Figure 19. CEH micro-site videos

• Classic Metal Roofing, website. Article on material selections for CEH that highlighted 

metal roofing. http://www.classicmetalroofingsystems.com/1317/cool-energy-housechooses-classic-metal-roofing-oxford-shingle/

• NDX Advantage, Simonton Windows e-newsletter. Article on window selection and 

benefits for CEH. http://www.ndxadvantage.com/jan2012/products.html

• Home Channel News, website. Article featuring the CEH with tour dates and project 

expectations. http://www.homechannelnews.com/article/cool-energy-house-celebratesefficiencies

• Yahoo News, website. Feature article written by Clopay Garage doors on product 

selection and overall energy efficiency goals of CEH. http://news.yahoo.com/clopaycanyon-ridge-collection-garage-doors-selected-doe-100027883.html. 

• SIPA, website. Feature article on product and material selection for the 

CEH. http://www.sips.org/industry-happenings/basf-fischersips

In addition to this, five videos were produced and shown during the events at the CEH to help 

explain BEopt, and educate the attendees about the measures used in the project. These videos 

ran continuously in the home during events and tours, and were also featured on buses that were 

used as transportation to the CEH. They will continue to run on online virtual tours on Qualified 

Remodeler and the BARA team site www.barateam.org/CEH 

The first video was 

an overview of the 

project that showed 

before, during, and 

after construction 

sequences, as well as 

behind the walls 

footage of the energy 

efficiency 

improvements made 

to the home. The 

second video 

specifically looked at 

the BEopt software, 

and how the energy 

modeling tool was 

used in the design, 

material selection, and energy efficient improvements to the home. The final video was a short 

animation called "What is Home Performance" that is intended to educate and encourage 
35 

Figure 20. CEH press event held February 9, 2012

remodelers, builders, and contractors to realign their business focus on energy upgrades to 

existing homes, similar to the CEH project.

Response to the videos has been favorable and the BARA team shared the presentations with 

media outlets to leverage the tools to further draw attention to the project. Home Energy 

Magazine included a link to the "What is Home Performance" video 

(http://www.homeenergy.org/show/blog/id/227/nav/blog) It is also on YouTube where, in less 

than two weeks, it was viewed over 500 times. 

Showtime Events, Tours, and Sponsor Receptions

When the 2012 IBS opened, so did the CEH for visitors to tour. Information and directions to the 

home was distributed from supporters’ booths at the show. There were roughly 20-30 visitors.

GE Customer Appreciation 

Night – On Wednesday 

evening, February 8, 2012, 

the CEH was used for a 

private party for GE’s invited 

guests. GE mailed invitations 

to a select group of their best 

builder-customers and 

provided transportation back 

and forth between the 

convention center and the 

home. GE hosted 

approximately 75 guests who 

were schooled on the GE 

energy saving ensemble of 

appliances, water heaters, 

photovoltaics and home 

energy management systems.

The CEH Press Educational Tour – On Thursday afternoon, February 9, an event was held for 

members of the media designed to communicate core residential energy efficiency issues and 

how the DOE’s residential programs address these issues. The intent of the event was to bring 

attention to the resources being developed by the residential buildings program and to provide an 

educational and outreach venue for the DOE, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 

and BA teams. Sam Rashkin, Chief Architect for the U.S. Department of Energy's Building 

Technologies Program was the keynote speaker and addressed a crowd of approximately 30 

people. 

HGTVRemodels VIP Reception – On Thursday evening, February 9, 2012, HGTVRemodels 

hosted an open house reception for all interested IBS show attendees. Invitations were distributed 

in advance of and at the IBS and transportation back and forth between the convention center and 

the home was provided. HGTVRemodels hosted 150+ people. 
36 

Figure 21. Chevrolet Volt with power chord 

in CEH driveway

Figure 22. Hand-cranked information stations provided an audio description of the 

energy upgrades to the home and required no additional power

CEH Onsite Communication Tools and Lessons Learned

Visitors to the CEH had a wide range of interactive communication tools to engage with at the 

CEH project. Informational signage, interactive “information stations,” and looping videos on a 

large flat screen, provided more information 

about the energy efficiency upgrades to the home. 

In addition to this, sponsors and product 

manufacturers also had representatives present. 

GE offered free LED light bulbs, and CEHspecific printed take-aways and other promotional 

materials were given away at the project.

The overall intent of the marketing material onsite 

was to provide visitors with information about the 

project during their time in the house, but also to 

encourage continued interest in the products and 

building technologies used during the retrofit 

project. 
37 

Figure 23: Window Replacement station 

and wall graphics 

During previous events and demonstration projects by BARA, the team noticed that traditional 

information stations often were less successful than desired at immediately transferring 

knowledge to visitors. Based on this observation, 

information stations at the CEH project were 

modified to allow the users to access information 

much faster and easier than previously. 

Specifically, the BARA team realized that people 

in the trade show atmosphere are often too busy 

or distracted to spend any time “learning” about 

how to use the hardware/software—even how to 

click to make a video run or access more indepth 

information about the project. For the CEH 

demonstration stations, the user interface was 

modified to eliminate the user’s need to click to 

start the video. Also, in order to capture more 

user information during this interaction time, the 

audio/video loop would stop automatically when 

the user opted to fill in the information forms or 

request more information. Attendees appeared to 

be interested in the topics, and sponsor 

representatives “hovered” around the stations to 

leverage the interest in their products and 

solutions. In the case of the Window 

Replacement station, an additional series of 

stenciled messages was applied on the wall 

directly opposite of the window itself to reinforce 

the video messaging. 

During the course of events at the CEH home, it became apparant that videos should be designed 

to work without any audio, as often crowd noise made understanding the presentations difficult. 

Following the event, a one-hour continuing education segment is being prepared, using 

repurposed information station content, for placement on McGraw Hill’s Architectural Record 

Continuing Education Center. Projecting from past experience on that site, the CEH segment 

could draw over 4,000 one-hour Learning Unit certifications and 44,000 partial views to 

architects, engineers, code officials, and designers.
38 

Figure 24. Information 

sheets available to CEH 

visitors

Figure 25. Solar panel 

display and explainer at the 

CEH

 

Social Media and New Communication Strategies

Social media communication channels like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest offer new 

opportunities to connect and maintain contact with potential industry lead and interested show 

participants. During the CEH project development and event schedule, the BARA team explored 

several different approaches with new social media mechanisms to engage potential visitors to 

the site.

With the expanded ability to quickly connect with an audience through social media sites, there 

are also new ways to evaluate and measure responses. The following are some basic metrics used 

for evaluating and understanding social media engagement. 

View - This term is used to count the number of times individuals look at a website page on a 

computer or portable device. To draw a parallel to traditional print media, a view is very similar 

to 'reading an ad', not just getting a magazine in the mail, where an ad or article may never be 

seen. Online views are highly accurate and one of the best ways to evaluate the effectiveness of a 

communication strategy that drives people to an online message. 

Impression - In a social media campaign using Twitter, impressions is equal to the total tweets 

times the total number of followers. This is not the same as views, it's the potential reach if every 

follower was watching their Twitter stream when the tweets were posted.

Click-Through - Similar to a "view" but in this case, it is possible to tell which URL link in the 

tweets was 'clicked on' to view the website page. This is a very important statistic to follow 

because it will indicate which specific tweets encouraged the most activity from the total 

potential audience.
39 

Tweet with Hashtag - In the CEH campaign #ENERGYHouse was the hashtag. By tracking the 

hashtag with an online application like 'TweetReach' it is possible to determine the number of 

times a topic appears in the Twitter universe over a period of time. This is also how Twitter users 

were able to participate in the live Twitter Chat #KBTribeChat that featured CEH. 

The following are some of the statistical results from the social media outreach strategy for the 

CEH.

• The CEH managed to get 134 Tweets with the Cool #ENERGYHouse hashtag, or about 5 

per day. The project averaged 2,800 Twitter impressions per tweet (375,000 

impressions/134 tweets) and had a reach of 84,000 unique twitter users. 

• One challenge for the social media strategy is that the CEH website was not updated or 

supplying "fresh" content as often as the Tweets were being issued. This meant that when 

a Tweet would be crafted it was more often than not simply information and did not 

provide the audience with a new or distinct call to action. 

• Invitation-only events like the sponsor events and press event did provide for updated 

website content and were more successful at engaging the audience, drawing 54 clickthroughs. 

• The live Twitter Chat proved to be a successful strategy in the six days leading up to the 

event, and including #KBTribechat (Cool Energy House featured) generated 51 

attendees, 750 tweets, 1.5 million impressions and a reach of 106,000 unique Twitter 

users.

• The Pinterest boards created for the Twitter chat generated 166 click-throughs during the 

1 hour chat, and another 34 views later for a total of 200 click-throughs. 

All told, the social media strategy was a mixed success for the CEH house as it was able to 

connect with a regular cache of followers but was unable to provide enough original content to 

engage the audience for a prolonged period of time. Another challenge was that since the BARA 

team did not have a social media presence on Twitter prior to the CEH project, the total number 

of followers had to be grown from zero. To effectively use social media as a marketing and 

communication channel for demonstration home projects, it would be advantageous to for 

sponsors to build a large and growing following prior to initiating a social media marketing 

campaign. 
40 

Appendix B. Profiles of Successful Energy Efficient 

Demonstration Home Projects

A successful project is one in which the energy efficiency message is delivered and leads are 

generated for the sponsors, builders, and producer. The following projects were deemed 

successes.

Bimini House 

http://www.bapirc.org/casestud/ph_homes2008/pdf/PHH_

Bimini.pdf

3,644 sq. ft. two-story house 

Year: 2008 

Tradeshow: IBS, Orlando, Fla. 

Construction type: New modular 

Producer: Florida Solar Energy Center and 

NREL for the DOE

Sponsor/Media Partner: Reed Construction 

Media

Builder: Palm Harbor Homes

Certifications: First EnergySmart Home label, Florida Green Home by the Florida Green 

Building Coalition, met Gold level standards in all sections except lot design, preparation, and 

development per the new NAHB National Green Home Building Program (nahbgreen.com). 

The 2008 Bimini House was a culmination of other demonstration houses over the years. The 

builder team had worked together on previous houses and had established relationships. This 

allowed them to avoid the conflict and confusion that can sometimes plague new teams.

The end result was an award-winning home that earned the very first EnergySmart Home label 

ever issued. It generated over 5,300 unique visits by attendees from IBS. As a take away, a 

printed case study was made available. This material was so popular that all 800 copies were 

gone by the fourth day. 

ReVISION House 

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/challenge/pdfs/ba_

builderschallengespotlight.pdf

1,800 sq. ft. single-story house

Year: 2010 

Tradeshow: IBS, Las Vegas

Construction type: Deep retrofit

Producer: BMI, Green Builder Media 

Builder: Multiple contractors

Certifications: HERS rating of -2 with photovoltaic panels 

in place, 44 without

Figure 26. Bimini House

Figure 27. 2010 ReVISION House
41 

The 2010 ReVISION house was a deep retrofit of a home built in 1963. The project included a 

photovoltaic array on the roof, which was also redesigned to better insulate the home. This, 

combined with energy efficient steps like new insulation and windows, updated appliances, and 

improved lighting, created an extremely energy efficient house. In fact, it often supplied more 

energy than it consumed. 

The timing of the theme for this house worked very well. The economic recession meant a 

greater interest in remodeling and retrofitting than perhaps in years past as well as an interest in 

reducing energy costs. The choice of a mid-century house also worked well as it fit in with the 

general mid-century revival trend.

Communication materials for the house included case studies, press releases, and websites 

including online modeling of the home, videos, and takeaways. There were tours held for the 

general public as well as events specific to IBS. A one-hour continuing education credit (CEU) 

course placed on the Architectural Record website continues to draw several thousand designers 

to the online story each year. 

Home by Design 

http://www.homebydesignshowhouse.com/2004/about/default.asp 

2,900 sq. ft. two-story house 

Year: 2004

Tradeshow: IBS, Las Vegas

Construction type: New construction 

Producer: Building Media, Inc. 

Sponsor/Media Partner: Hold Fast Communications 

Builder: Hilltop Development, Inc. 

Home by Design was designed by well-known architect 

and author Sarah Susanka to demonstrate the "achievable 

dream house". In addition, building science and 

construction notables Steve Easley and Bob Heatherington 

joined the project. The celebrity of these three names was 

an immediate draw to the home, both in terms of gathering 

sponsors and in drawing visitors to the completed project. 

Curious consumers continue to visit the NotSoBig website 

to revisit this project.

The communication tools for this project were substantial. Each sponsor got three different 

stories, advertorial, editorial and a mix that they could use as they saw fit. In addition, materials 

went up on websites and online publications. Visitors to the project were also given a CD 

takeaway describing the project and materials. 

Better Home Better Planet 

http://construction.basf.us/index.php?page=residential_bhbp_newConstruction_nzeh 

2,900 sq. ft. three-story house 

Year: 2006 

Figure 28. Home by Design Showhouse
42 

Tradeshow: N/A

Construction type: New construction 

Producer: BASF, PATH

Sponsor/Media Partner: Hold Fast Communications 

Certifications: Platinum LEED rating, ENERGY STAR 

certification

Better Home Better Planet was a slightly different project. 

Unlike the others, this house was not built for a specific 

tradeshow or event. Instead, it was built as a proposed 

template for the City of Paterson's ongoing project to build 

3,000 affordable housing units and as a showcase for BASF, 

the producer, sponsor, and builder for the project, 

technologies. The home was then selected by the U.S. Green 

Building Council's (USGBC) for pilot testing of the

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes 

(LEED-H) rating system. It earned a Platinum rating and 

also received ENERGY STAR certification.

Figure 29. Better Home Better 

Planet (Source: BASF 

Corporation; reprinted with 

permission)
Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at 

least 50% wastepaper, including 10% post-consumer waste.

DOE/GO-102012-3580 December 2012